Posts Tagged ‘Can’

Jaki Leibezeit was the founding drummer for the influential German avant-garde rock band, Can. Initially performing free jazz during the early- to mid-’60s, Leibezeit moved more toward experimental rock when he co-founded Can in 1968. Can incorporated elements of world music, psychedelic rock, jazz, and electronic, with Leibezeit providing the prominent drum beat along the way. By doing so, Can helped build the foundation of Germany’s krautrock movement. Over the years, they released several albums including two of their most popular, Tago Mago and Ege Bamyası. Outside of Can, Leibzeit collaborated with Jah Wobble, Depeche Mode and Brian Eno, to name a few. Jaki Leibezeit was 78 when he died of pneumonia on January 22, 2017.

Epic Soundtracks is best remembered as a founding member of UK experimental noise band, the Swell Maps. Formed by Soundtracks and his brother, Nikki Sudden (real name, Adrian Godfrey), in 1972, the Swell Maps gained popularity only after the rise of punk, even though they weren’t a punk band. They had more in common with T. Rex and Can and laid the foundation for such future noise merchants as Husker Du and Sonic Youth. After the Swell Maps disbanded in 1980, Soundtracks went on to enjoy a modest solo career. During the ’90s, he collaborated with the likes of Evan Dando, J Mascis, Kim Gordon, and Lee Renaldo. On November 5, 1997, Epic Soundtracks, 37, was found dead in his bed. Cause of death was never determined.